Trump says he wants 'immediate' impeachment trial

US President Donald Trump has said that he wants "an immediate trial" in the Senate, after the Democrat-controlled House of Representatives voted to pass two articles of impeachment against him.

"So after the Democrats gave me no due Process in the House, no lawyers, no witnesses, no nothing, they now want to tell the Senate how to run their trial," Xinhua news agency reported citing Trump as saying in a tweet on Thursday.

"Actually, they have zero proof of anything, they will never even show up. They want out. I want an immediate trial."

Wednesday's vote made Trump the third president in US history to be formally impeached and will now face a trial in the Republican-majority Senate next month.

The House passed the first article, which accused Trump of abuse of power, on a vote of 230-197 with one voting "present".

The vote for the second article charging the president of obstruction of Congress was passed 229-198 with one voting "present".

Republicans rejected the two charges unanimously.

Under the US Constitution, the House has the sole power of impeachment while the Senate has the sole power to try all impeachments.

Conviction can only happen in the Senate and requires at least two-thirds of its members, or 67 senators, to vote in favour after a trial.